National Law University and Judicial Academy, Guwahati

About College:

The group of institutions collectively known as the National Law Universities (NLUs) now number over twenty. Most of them recruit students using the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) scores. This is considered the flagship exam, which gives entry to some of the finest Law colleges in the country. The competition for this is immense. The test includes 200 objective type multiple choice questions to be answered within a maximum time limit of 120 minutes. These 200 questions are divided into Legal Aptitude and GK hogging half the total share with 50 questions each. English and Reasoning are worth 40 each while math which is quite elementary is worth 20. For every wrong answer, a fourth of negative marks gets deducted. Success in this exam opens the door towards some of the best national law colleges (NLUs). In spite of the ‘national’ tag associated with the NLUs, they remain state universities. CLAT is also one of the few law entrances that were conducted on online mode but has now reverted to the offline avatar. 

For long, law lagged behind several other professional and degree courses when it came to prestige and career opportunities, but now, thanks to the NLUs, it is considered a top career choice. With the opening up of the economy, law grads can now take up careers in corporate law, international agencies, NGOs, Legal Process Outsourcing (LPOs) firms and academics, besides the conventional careers centres around litigation and the judiciary. This was the reason for the launch of the five- year integrated programmes by the NLUs which can be taken up by students immediately after completion of their school. 

The National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam (NLUJAA) in Guwahati was established in the year 2009. It is built on a total area of 60 acres worth land. Courses are available at both the UG and PG levels. At the UG level, the flagship five- year integrated programme BA LLB is offered. The LLB, of course, is the standard degree offered to Common Law countries’ legal study graduates. At the master’s level, the LLM is offered here. It is a one- year programme with specializations provided in seven different areas. These are in areas of – International Law, Environmental Law, Constitutional Law, Personal Laws, Human Rights Law, Intellectual Property Laws and for Corporate & Commercial Laws. The PG level academics is run by the Centre for Post Graduate Legal Studies (CPGLS). Doctoral programmes may also be pursued here. 

The institute is also a leader when it comes to legal research. For this purpose, specific centres of excellence have been created to facilitate the same. There are centres here for the areas of – Child Rights, Environment Law, Natural Resource Laws, Peace Resolution Studies, Constitutional Law & Governance, Corporate Law & Good Governance, Human Rights & Refugee Law, Law Language & Culture, Socio-Legal Research & Gender Studies, Tribal & Land Rights, Disability Rights & Health Laws, Disaster Management & Law, IPR Studies, International Humanitarian Law and for Criminal Justice Administration & Human Rights. There is also a Centre for Studies of North East, South Asia and South East Asia Legal Studies. A lot of the research that takes place at the NLUJA gets published in their own in-house journals. There are two major ones. One of them is a student-edited work known as National Law University Assam Law Review (NLUALR). The other is peer-reviewed faculty-edited piece known as the National Law University Assam Law and Policy Review (NLUALPR). 

The Student Bar Council (SBC) takes care of all the student affairs. This includes a plethora of events such as debates and moot court contests. Frequent seminars and workshops are also conducted on campus, where industry experts interact with the students. This helps improve the industry connect. There is also a committee that deals with alumni relations. Students from the NLUJA have won several national level events across the country. Sports and games are also highly encouraged here. Highly competitive tournaments take place among the students for the main sports and games. The library here is one of the best stocked within the region. Besides the physical books on display, it also provides digital access to en number of international academic journals for research and academic purposes. The computer centre is also attached to the library. The entire campus is Wi-fi enabled. 

All this and much more has ensured that the NLUJA has experienced very good rankings across platforms. It got placed rank 24^th all India among law colleges by the Careers 360 magazine with a AAA rating. The placements and internships have likewise been good and improving at a rapid pace yearly. Some of the key recruiters in recent seasons have been the likes of – WWF India, Amicus Publico, IOCL, Indian Red Cross Society, Rotary Club of Calcutta, Ranbaxy, WTI, Global Jurix, and Eco- Friends amongst others.